According to ScienceAlert, a new study led by Dr. Josep M. Trigo-Rodríguez from the Institute of Space Sciences analyzed samples of C-type asteroids, which make up 75% of known asteroids. The research, detailed in a paper set for publication on January 2nd in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, used mass spectrometry to determine the precise chemical composition of six common classes of carbonaceous chondrites. The team’s key finding is that mining undifferentiated asteroids is currently “far from viable.” However, they identified a specific type of asteroid rich in olivine and spinel bands as a potential future target. The researchers emphasize that water-rich asteroids with high concentrations of water-bearing minerals should be prioritized and that significant technological development for extraction in microgravity is still needed.
The big, expensive reality check
So, asteroid mining isn’t happening next year. Or probably next decade. Here’s the thing: this study is a crucial dose of cold, hard space reality. For years, the hype made it sound like we’d just fly out, grab a platinum-rich rock, and become trillionaires overnight. But this research shows these bodies are incredibly heterogeneous—basically, no two are exactly alike, and their 4.5-billion-year history makes them complex. The fact that they found most asteroids have “relatively small abundances of precious elements” is a massive hurdle. It means the economic model, which was already shaky, just got shakier. You can’t build a business case on “maybe there’s some good stuff in there.” You need to know exactly where to go and what you’re getting.
So, what’s the actual target?
If the get-rich-quick dream is on ice, what’s left? The study points to a more pragmatic, near-term goal: water. Trigo-Rodríguez notes that for water-rich carbonaceous asteroids, “extracting water for reuse seems more viable, either as fuel or as a primary resource for exploring other worlds.” This is the in-space infrastructure play. Water can be split into hydrogen and oxygen for rocket fuel, or used for life support. Establishing a “gas station” in orbit or at a Lagrange point would radically change deep-space mission logistics. It’s less glamorous than hauling back gold, but it’s the foundational step. It also ties into planetary defense, as understanding these bodies helps us learn how to potentially “mine and shrink” hazardous ones.
technology-gap”>The enormous technology gap
Let’s talk about the “how.” The researchers are blunt: we need “companies capable of taking decisive steps in the technological development necessary to extract and collect these materials under low-gravity conditions.” We’re talking about large-scale robotic systems that can anchor to a crumbling, low-gravity pile of rubble, process material, and handle waste—all autonomously, millions of miles from Earth. That’s a monumental engineering challenge. It’s the kind of problem that requires sustained investment and iterative testing, far beyond a few sample-return missions. And while the core tech is being developed in labs, the industrial-grade hardware for harsh space environments—like the rugged industrial panel PCs needed to control such machinery—is already being perfected by leading suppliers right here on Earth. The jump from prototype to space-worthy industrial system is a huge leap.
It’s a marathon, not a sprint
The enthusiasm for asteroid mining cooled because we realized it’s a 50 or 100-year project, not a 10-year one. But that doesn’t mean progress has stopped. As the PhD student on the study, Pau Grèbol-Tomàs, said: “It sounds like science fiction, but it also seemed like science fiction when the first sample return missions were being planned thirty years ago.” Look at NASA’s OSIRIS-REx and JAXA’s Hayabusa2 missions—they proved we can rendezvous, sample, and return. China’s upcoming Tianwen-2 mission will add more data. Each step builds the knowledge base. The dream of a “post-scarcity” future from space resources is basically shelved for our lifetimes. But the quieter, more practical dream of using space resources to live and work in space? That’s still very much alive. It’s just going to take a lot longer, and require a lot more careful science like this study, before the first space-based drill ever powers up.
